Big money in local campaigns going to Volusia chair race

DEREK CATRON, Staff Writer

Tuesday

Jul 31, 2012 at 12:01 AMAug 15, 2012 at 2:33 PM

With two weeks remaining before the Aug. 14 primary, the latest contribution reports show the heaviest campaigning in Volusia and Flagler County races coming from two sources: Ted Doran and the business interests that don't like him.

The Volusia County chair candidate loaned himself $140,000 and spent $100,000 over the two-week reporting period that ended July 20, county records show.

Meanwhile, an electioneering communication organization known as the Committee to Protect Florida has received $77,500 this month from local companies with a reason to oppose the School Board attorney.

Those competing interests overwhelmed the rest of the dollars flowing in and out of local campaigns, as reported to the state Division of Elections and local supervisors of elections offices during an abbreviated reporting period before the primary.

To put the figures in context: Doran's $100,000 in expenses for the period were barely eclipsed by the $103,000 spent by 40 candidates seeking other county posts whose reports were recorded by Monday.

Most of Doran's expenses -- $67,000 -- went to produce and broadcast advertisements on cable TV, including a controversial spot that claims lives have been lost because of county red tape over ambulance transport rules. Other expenses included $14,500 for advertisement mailers and $10,500 for bus bench advertisements.

By comparison, former County Councilman Carl Persis spent $27,500 during the most recent reporting period. His expenses included nearly $15,000 for direct mail advertisements. The third candidate in the race, Jason Davis, who has raised $4,041 overall, spent $1,300 during the time frame.

Not all the money going into the campaigns goes directly to candidates.

Doran -- who's positioned himself as the opponent of what he describes as the area's behind-the-scenes power brokers -- has been the target of ad campaigns funded by a political committee that's not subject to the $500 limits on individual contributions.

Companies associated with Daytona International Speedway and Brown & Brown Insurance each donated a combined $25,000 to the Committee to Protect Florida -- donations that preceded a mailer drawing attention to Doran's connections and the money his firm has made from billing public entities.

In a letter seeking support, Doran tied contributions to Persis from developer Mori Hosseini to a vote Persis made earlier this year on a deal that allowed mobile homes in the Plantation Oaks development. Persis angrily refuted the connection, and the developers in the deal -- including Parker Mynchenberg and Ronnie Bledsoe -- said Hosseini had nothing to do with it.

Their companies contributed a combined $10,000 to the political committee, its website shows. Other contributions came from a company run by attorney Random Burnett ($15,000) and businessman Gale Lemerand ($2,500).

There's been much less spending in Flagler County races, with records on Monday showing 30 candidates seeking county positions spent just under $30,000.

More than half of that came in the sheriff's race. Because the post is a partisan position, there are really two races on primary ballots.

Sheriff Don Fleming, a Republican, is being challenged by John Pollinger and Ray Stevens. The three of them spent a combined $13,295. Democrats Jim Manfre and Karl Tozzi spent less than $3,000 between them.

Flagler's modest fundraising was most clear in the state House District 24 race, where two Flagler Democrats -- Milissa Holland and Doug Courtney -- are competing to meet a St. Johns County Republican in the general election.

It's the first time in more than 40 years that Flagler voters account for the majority of a district, but that numerical superiority hasn't translated into campaign dollars. Travis Hutson, an executive with his family's development company in St. Johns, raised $10,000 during the reporting period, more than Holland ($4,300) and Courtney ($815) combined, even though he won't be on the ballot until Nov. 6. Hutson has raised $113,000 overall for that race; Holland and Courtney had totaled less than $10,000.

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